BOULDER — Nelson Spruce was cast aside by the fans and media. They figured the influx of speed at the receiver position would send him tumbling down the depth chart. But there he was Monday, listed as one of the three starting receivers for Colorado’s opener Sunday against Colorado State.

Spruce was the Buffaloes’ leading receiver last year. However, his 44 catches and three touchdowns didn’t mask the 1-11 team’s need for speed on the outside. So in came junior Paul Richardson, recovered from a torn ACL, the arrival of freshman Jeff Thomas, a protype receiver at 6-foot-3, and the conversion from tailback of D.D. Goodson a 5-foot-6 firefly who has lit up fall camp.

“Those guys stole the spotlight a little bit coming in,” Spruce said. “They can do some different things. But having them here really drove this competition between the receivers.”

Helping Spruce has been Troy Walters, the former undersized Biletnikoff Award winner at Stanford.

“He’s an experienced guy,” Spruce said. “He played when it was the Pac-10. He played at the next level. He brings a lot of game experience. He helps us prepare with the mental side of the game because he’s been there. In practice, he’s not afraid to put the cleats on and run around with us. He takes a hand on approach I really like.”

Quarterback Connor Wood still believes in Spruce.

“He’s very, very dependable,” Wood said. “He’s a great route runner. You can always count on him being in the spot he needs to be in.”

This piece is ridiculous. “Cast aside by the fans and media” is journalist-speak for the WRITER cast him aside. I don’t see anywhere else where knowledgeable people took the same view of Spruce. Anyone who attended practice and paid any attention to practice reports, coaches comments, etc made as of the date of this piece would know that Spruce was in the top tier of the receiver corp in this year’s offense. Obviously, Henderson wasn’t paying attention. Spruce’s performance in the first two games, including his speedy 39 yard TD, make Henderson look even sillier.

Kensler joined The Denver Post in 1989 and has covered a variety of beats, including Colorado, Colorado State, golf, Olympics and the Denver Broncos. His brush with greatness: losing in a two-on-two pickup basketball game at Ohio State against two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin.

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.